New Zealand car rental

1.
Posted byadagio(Budding Member 22 posts) 11y
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I'm going to New Zealand in a couple of weeks and am considering renting a car since being in Australia without a car has been very inconvenient at times. I have searched the web and found that both ace rental cars and ezy rental will rent me a small car for about NZ$20-25 a day which I think is very reasonable but also half the price of what AVIS and Hertz offer so was wondering if anyone has used these companies and know if there are any hidden things I should be aware of. I have quickly looked through the terms and conditions and it looks ok to me... Also suggestions of other companies or better ways to get around are of course welcome.

2.
Posted byjoabbey(Budding Member 13 posts) 11y
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Hello,

Whilst in New Zealand me and my partner brought a campervan from a backpackers car market in Auckland and sold it in the backpackers car market in Christchurch. They have many cars available there as well and you can get the moter serviced on site for around $50-$100 dollars. The only downside with this is coming to sell it at the end of the trip, however as long as you give yourself plenty of time, you should be able to make the majority of your money back.

Hope you have a good trip.

Jo

3.
Posted bystevieh(Respected Member 615 posts) 11y
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Yep, I'd recommend a campervan too. NZ has lots to see, but it's so spread out - a day here, two days there - that a camper is by farthe best way to ee as much as possible without the inconvenience of having to worry about finding accommodation everytime you arrive somewhere. There are loads of companies that rent vans, varying a lot in price. Have a look at Maui, Britz, Pacific Horizon, but there are loads more.

4.
Posted byadagio(Budding Member 22 posts) 11y
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Thanks for the advice. I looked at the campervan sites and they are pretty cheap this time of year, and if I weren't travelling alone I think that's what I would do but I'm worried I would get a bit lonely always alone in my campervan If I need it I guess I can just buy a tent. Also I'm only in New Zealand for 6 weeks and I want to make the most of my time so even though it might be cheaper I don't think I want to run the risk of buying something myself which might break down and I might have to spend a lot of time selling afterwards. Anyway, in short I take none of your advise and go with renting a car Since noone has said anything bad about the companies I mentioned I will try one of them and probably share my experiences in this thread when I'm done. Thanks again for giving me some options to consider.

My boyfriend and I hired a car in NZ last year (from Auckland and around both islands - about 28 days in total) and found Omega to be the cheapest around. Beware - some of the seemingly cheap deals have mileage caps and will require you extra service charges for things like the ferry crossing between islands and the insurance sometimes isn't as good. It's worth going into a more established place (e.g. Omega) and asking why they cost more than Mr X down the road - they'll help explain the differences and you can make an informed decision.

Personally, I would'nt bother arranging it before you go, as long as you can spare an afternoon when you arrive. It's easier when you can talk to a 'real' person about the deals, and sometimes you can get special cheap offers by driving one of their vehicles to an office at another location (say you're going from Auckland to Wellington)....because you're doing them a favour by moving the car, you get a discount. Some of my friends did this recently and paid half the normal price!

6.
Posted byoznz06(Budding Member 17 posts) 11y
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I hired a car by myself for 2 months and used Apex - they were the cheapest at the time. I would have got a campervan as well if I'd been with people but I loved the time I had in New Zealand and having the car made it even better. Driving is not a problem and after Australia ever where seems so close! Let me know if you have any other questions

7.
Posted bySnow21(Budding Member 21 posts) 11y
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hey We're renting an Ezy car at the moment and found them pretty cool, including the crossing, was only $25per day. The only thing which is more is the insurance excess cover if u want it. Standard covers u for everything bu $1000 but pay $8 per day and u only have to pay the first $100.

8.
Posted byPurdy(Travel Guru 3546 posts) 11y
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In New Zealand we hired cars through Avis (though this was a last moment thing and l really dont think they were the cheapest) in the North Island through the Auckland City Centre Branch and in the South Island we picked up our car from Omega in Picton and dropped it back to Omega in Christchurch. For 6 days car hire it was around £100 - l was shocked at how cheap it was - compared to the UK - we have hired cars in UK and its cost over £100 for a couple of days!

The car was an old car but it went well, was economical and there was plenty of luggage storage in it. It was an automatic car - my first experience of driving automatic - but it was fine!

We booked it online - they took all our details were very prompt in getting back too us and when picking up the car really efficent and provided lots of maps and tourist point suggestions too!